Theo Croker – AfroPhysicist (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 55:20 minutes | 1003 MB | Genre: Soul, Funk, Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Okeh – Sony Masterworks
Produced by and Featuring the Legendary Dee Dee Bridgewater. Plus Special Guests Stefon Harris and Roy Hargrove. Enter the AfroPhysicist trumpeter/composer Theo Croker. Coming straight out of Leesburg, Florida by way of Shanghai, China, this bold young soul-jazz newcomer, grandson of New Orleans trumpet legend Doc Cheatham, is fortified by tradition with no lack of contemporary electricity to propel him into the future. His trumpet pops over rock guitars and roaring organs, floats on the ballads and bops along on straight ahead swing. Croker deftly bridges generation gaps on Afro Physicist, his first album for OKeh Records, produced by Dee Dee Bridgewater for her DDB Records imprint.
Read moreTheo Bleckmann – My Choice (2011)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:19:42 minutes | 801 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Winter & Winter
Theo Bleckmann (* 28. Mai 1966 in Dortmund) ist ein deutscher Jazzsänger und Komponist, der im Grenzbereich von Jazz, Neuer, elektronischer Musik und Performance arbeitet. Er wurde für den Grammy nominiert und mit dem ECHO Jazz der deutschen Phono Akademie ausgezeichnet.
Read moreTheo Bleckmann – Hello Earth! – The Music of Kate Bush (2011)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:00:45 minutes | 1,33 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Winter & Winter
Vocalist Theo Bleckmann is best known for creating vast sonic spaces with subverbal textures, electronics, and with the help of backing musicians such as John Hollenbeck, Ben Monder, or the band Kneebody. On Hello Earth, Bleckmann showcases his mastery of affective and lyrical nuances with interpretations of songs by British art rocker Kate Bush.
Read moreTheo Bleckmann – Elegy (2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 47:04 minutes | 851 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © ECM
Beyond being a vocalist of rare purity and daring, Theo Bleckmann is a sound painter who creates what JazzTimes has described aptly as “luminous webs” in music. The German-born New Yorker – after appearing on two ECM albums by Meredith Monk and another by Julia Hülsmann – makes his striking label debut as a leader with Elegy. This album showcases Bleckmann as a composer as much as a singer, with several instrumental pieces voiced by what he calls his “ambient” band of kindred-spirit guitarist Ben Monder, keyboardist Shai Maestro and the subtle rhythm team of Chris Tordini and John Hollenbeck. Highlights include Bleckmann’s sublime rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s “Comedy Tonight” (“tragedy tomorrow… comedy tonight”), as well as the mellifluous vocalise of “Little Elegy” and achingly poetic “To Be Shown to Monks at a Certain Temple.”
“This record is called Elegy for a reason – each of its songs relates to death or transcendence in some existential way,” Bleckmann explains. “Several of the pieces are instrumental, with ‘Cortege’ a funeral march. In the song ‘Take My Life,’ I imagine what it would be like to die, losing facility bit by bit: losing your voice, your heartbeat, your breath. I wrote that one thinking about Bach and his cantatas, especially ‘Ich habe genug,’ which is about joyfully going into the afterlife. For this album, I wanted to create songs that deal with this subject matter not in a morbid way but with some light to it.”
Read moreTheo Bleckmann – At Night (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:03:32 minutes | 1,14 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Songlines
Theo Bleckmann is the renaissance man of contemporary vocal performance, an emotional jazz singer who is willing to try wild ideas on this 2007 album like processing his voice through an electronically altered toy megaphone or a plunger. Guitarist Ben Monder’s peers hold him in considerable awe for his sound, now completely his own, as his long fingers stretch across strings and frets to create chords never heard before. At Night is a study in contrasts that flow together into a unified statement, bound by the recurring texts of Sufi poet Rumi.
Read moreThe Ozark Mountain Daredevils – The Car Over The Lake Album (1975/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 38:05 minutes | 828 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © A&M
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils’ third album for A&M continues their good-natured Southern chooglin’ with hints of a newfound mid-70s AM pop vibe. Although it was recorded in Nashville, The Car Over the Lake Album has a distinctly Californian vibe on several tracks, particularly those written and sung by drummer Larry Lee, whose contributions could ride along “Ventura Highway” with any of America’s recordings. Despite this warm Beach Boys influence, the album is still a Southern rocker, evident on “Keep on Churning,” “Leatherwood,” and the slightly goofy “Gypsy Forest.” The hard-rockin’ push of “If You Want to Get to Heaven” is nowhere to be found on this album, but the laid-back porch-sittin’ hum of “From Time to Time” and the spectacular “If I Only Knew” acts as an acceptable substitute.
Read moreThe Ozark Mountain Daredevils – Don’t Look Down (1977/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 37:56 minutes | 851 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © A&M
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, while not being the most successful country-rock outfit, had released five fine albums prior to Don’t Look Down. Their sound had changed little over the years, which suited most fans who frankly wanted more of the same. This release, the bands last on A&M Records, is somewhat more polished than earlier recordings, however, and the style is rather more country-pop than many would have liked. Fine musicianship is present as usual, but the move to a lighter rock style has forced guitar solos to take a backseat throughout. Don’t Look Down is consistent enough, and is undoubtedly an enjoyable album. Similarity is its key problem, however, and nothing truly original is present.
Read moreThe Outer Sonics – Dance a Little Light (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 42:43 minutes | 485 MB | Genre: Progressive Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Presence Records
Progressive pop rock group The Outer Sonics hails from Tampere, Finland. Third album Dance a little Light was released April 30, 2020. Dance a little Light combines beautiful melodies, heavy riffs and a delightful harmonies – hand in hand complementing each other. With gripping and melodic vocals, driving rhythms and soaring leads, the band merges the sounds of the past, present and the future. We warmly welcome you to join our journey.
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